Armed officers, locked doors and education are keys to keeping students safe, said Dave Grossman, director of the Illinois-based Killology Research Group

Dave Grossman, director of the Illinois-based Killology Research Group, conducts a school-safety training seminar at the Civic Center of Anderson on Thursday. Grossman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who taught at the West Point Military Academy, is the author of several books including "Assassination Generation." He talked about how "sick" movies, TV shows and video games have sparked school shootings.(Photo: Ken Ruinard / staff)

"Sick" movies, TV shows and video games have triggered an epidemic of school massacres that has swept across the U.S. and other nations, a nationally known school safety expert said Thursday in Anderson as an accused school shooter was in due in court across town.

The availability of guns and other weapons does not explain the rise in shootings carried out by children at schools, said Dave Grossman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and author who crisscrosses the nation holding school-safety training sessions. He is director of the Illinois-based Killology Research Group.

"It is not what is in their hand; it is what is in their head,” Grossman said. “What do they all have in common? Every one of them dropped out of life and immersed themselves in the sickest movies and sickest TV shows and sickest video games."

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Army Veteran Dave Grossman, left, director of the Illinois-based Killology Research Group, talks with Pamela Kalafice, a guidance counselor at Townville Elementary, before his safe schools and healthy students training seminar at the Civic Center of Anderson on Thursday. Grossman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who taught at the West Point Military Academy, author of several books including "On Combat" talked with participants about how video game and movie media has been a part of school massacres since the 1980s. Ken Ruinard / staff

Army Veteran Dave Grossman, director of the Illinois-based Killology Research Group, conducts a safe schools and healthy students training seminar at the Civic Center of Anderson on Thursday. Grossman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who taught at the West Point Military Academy, author of several books including "Assassination Generation" talked with participants about how video game and movie media has been a part of school massacres since the 1980s. Ken Ruinard / staff

Army Veteran Dave Grossman, director of the Illinois-based Killology Research Group, conducts a safe schools and healthy students training seminar at the Civic Center of Anderson on Thursday. Grossman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who taught at the West Point Military Academy, author of several books including "Assassination Generation" talked with participants about how video game and movie media has been a part of school massacres since the 1980s. Ken Ruinard / staff

Dave Grossman, director of the Illinois-based Killology Research Group, conducts a school-safety training seminar at the Civic Center of Anderson on Thursday. Grossman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who taught at the West Point Military Academy, is the author of several books including "Assassination Generation." He talked about how "sick" movies, TV shows and video games have sparked school shootings. Ken Ruinard / staff

Army Veteran Dave Grossman, director of the Illinois-based Killology Research Group, conducts a safe schools and healthy students training seminar at the Civic Center of Anderson on Thursday. Grossman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who taught at the West Point Military Academy, author of several books including "Assassination Generation" talked with participants about how video game and movie media has been a part of school massacres since the 1980s. Ken Ruinard / staff

Dave Grossman, left, director of the Illinois-based Killology Research Group, talks with Autech LLC President Rockey Burgess, during a school-safety training seminar at the Civic Center of Anderson on Thursday. Burgess said his company paid for the event featuring Grossman to help promote school safety. Ken Ruinard / staff

Army Veteran Dave Grossman, left, director of the Illinois-based Killology Research Group, talks with participants near Rockey Burgess, Autech LLC, during their safe schools and healthy students training seminar at the Civic Center of Anderson on Thursday. Burgess said his company paid for the school-safety event featuring Grossman to help promote school safety. Ken Ruinard / staff

Lt. Todd Caron, left, Anderson County Sheriff's Office, opens the seminar near Rockey Burgess, Autech LLC, before the safe schools and healthy students training seminar at the Civic Center of Anderson on Thursday. Burgess said his company paid for the school-safety event featuring Dave Grossman to help promote school safety. Ken Ruinard / staff

Lt. Todd Caron, left, Anderson County Sheriff's Office, opens the seminar near Rockey Burgess, Autech LLC, before the safe schools and healthy students training seminar at the Civic Center of Anderson on Thursday. Burgess said his company paid for the school-safety event featuring Dave Grossman to help promote school safety. Ken Ruinard / staff

Christy Dodd, right, Principal at Flat Rock Elementary School in Anderson County School District Three, listens to Army Veteran Dave Grossman, director of the Illinois-based Killology Research group, during the safe schools and healthy students training seminar at the Civic Center of Anderson on Thursday. Grossman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who taught at the West Point Military Academy, author of several books including "Assassination Generation" talked with participants about how video game and movie media has been a part of school massacres since the 1980s. Ken Ruinard / staff

Army Veteran Dave Grossman, director of the Illinois-based Killology Research Group, conducts a safe schools and healthy students training seminar at the Civic Center of Anderson on Thursday. Grossman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who taught at the West Point Military Academy, author of several books including "Assassination Generation" talked with participants about how video game and movie media has been a part of school massacres since the 1980s. Ken Ruinard / staff

Army Veteran Dave Grossman, director of the Illinois-based Killology Research Group, conducts a safe schools and healthy students training seminar at the Civic Center of Anderson on Thursday. Grossman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who taught at the West Point Military Academy, author of several books including "Assassination Generation" talked with participants about how video game and movie media has been a part of school massacres since the 1980s. Ken Ruinard / staff

Greg Hawkins, a student resource officer at Anderson Career and Technology Center of Anderson County School Districts 1 and 2, listens to Army Veteran Dave Grossman, director of the Illinois-based Killology Research Group, conduct a safe schools and healthy students training seminar at the Civic Center of Anderson on Thursday. Grossman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who taught at the West Point Military Academy, author of several books including "Assassination Generation" talked with participants about how video game and movie media has been a part of school massacres since the 1980s. Ken Ruinard / staff

Pamela Kalafice, a guidance counselor at Townville Elementary, listens to Army Veteran Dave Grossman, director of the Illinois-based Killology Research Group, conduct a safe schools and healthy students training seminar at the Civic Center of Anderson on Thursday. Grossman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who taught at the West Point Military Academy, author of several books including "Assassination Generation" talked with participants about how video game and movie media has been a part of school massacres since the 1980s. Ken Ruinard / staff,

Army Veteran Dave Grossman, director of the Illinois-based Killology Research Group, conducts a safe schools and healthy students training seminar at the Civic Center of Anderson on Thursday. Grossman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who taught at the West Point Military Academy, author of several books including "Assassination Generation" talked with participants about how video game and movie media has been a part of school massacres since the 1980s. Ken Ruinard / staff,

Army Veteran Dave Grossman, director of the Illinois-based Killology Research Group, conducts a safe schools and healthy students training seminar at the Civic Center of Anderson on Thursday. Grossman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who taught at the West Point Military Academy, author of several books including "Assassination Generation" talked with participants about how video game and movie media has been a part of school massacres since the 1980s. Ken Ruinard / staff,

About 60 educators, school resource officers and students attended Grossman's seminar at the Civic Center of Anderson. The session was held on the same day that accused Townville Elementary School gunman Jesse Osborne was scheduled to attend a court hearing in Anderson.

During a multi-day hearing in February to determine whether Osborne would be tried as an adult, photos taken inside the teen's room became part of the case. The photos showed lots of electronics, including multiple game systems. Osborne had dozens of video games, including multiple versions of "Call of Duty."

Assistant Solicitor Catherine Huey, a prosecutor for the 10th Judicial Circuit, said in court that Osborne had "lots of shooting games."

Osborne is charged with two counts of murder in the shooting deaths of his father and Townville Elementary first-grader Jacob Hall. He also faces three counts of attempted murder in connection with the Sept. 28, 2016, shooting spree at the school.

Autech LLC, a Pelzer-based company that has installed fire alarms, access controls, cameras and other equipment at school throughout Anderson County, paid for Thursday's training session. The company's president, Williamston Town Councilman Rockey Burgress, said his efforts to bring Grossman to Anderson were prompted by the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that resulted in the deaths of 17 students and staff members.

Christy Dodd, right, Principal at Flat Rock Elementary School in Anderson County School District Three, listens to Army Veteran Dave Grossman, director of the Illinois-based Killology Research group, during the safe schools and healthy students training seminar at the Civic Center of Anderson on Thursday. Grossman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who taught at the West Point Military Academy, author of several books including "Assassination Generation" talked with participants about how video game and movie media has been a part of school massacres since the 1980s.(Photo: Ken Ruinard / staff)

Grossman discussed that shooting during Thursday's session.

“The Parkland killer played video games 15 hours a day," he said.

Besides faulting officials at the Florida school for neglecting to keep exterior doors locked, Grossman criticized law enforcement officers for waiting too long to enter the school during the shooting.

“Everybody failed to do their job," he said.

Grossman talked about his personal experience with deadly school shootings. His son was a student at Westside Middle School near Jonesboro, Arkansas, when an 11-year-old and a 13-year-old fatally shot four students and a teacher on March 24, 1998.

“I was paralyzed," he said. “I cannot communicate to you the magnitude of the horror when you turn on the national news and they're at your kid’s school.”

Dave Grossman, left, director of the Illinois-based Killology Research Group, talks with Autech LLC President Rockey Burgess, during a school-safety training seminar at the Civic Center of Anderson on Thursday. Burgess said his company paid for the event featuring Grossman to help promote school safety.(Photo: Ken Ruinard / staff)

Grossman said school officials must do more to prevent shootings.

“Do we have to wait until our kids die — do we have to wait until our friends die before we take action?" he asked.

"Folks, our enemy is denial," Grossman said. “We’ve got to prepare for violence more than ever before. It is our absolute moral, sacred responsibility to send them (students) home safe at the end of the day.”

Every school needs an armed law enforcement officer, Grossman said. He said school administrators must make sure that exterior and interior doors are locked and that glass doors should be covered with bullet-resistant lamination. He also suggested creating telephone tip lines as well as providing teachers and school personnel with pepper spray.

School employees and students must be taught what do if a shooting occurs, Grossman said. He said the options to consider are hiding, running or fighting, depending on the circumstances.

"There is no more powerful tool than education," Grossman said. "If we don't teach the kids what to do, we are teaching them to do nothing."

While steps must be taken to prevent shootings, Grossman also warned that future incidents may involve vehicles being driven into groups of students outside schools, as well as attacks on school buses and day-care centers.

Grossman, who also held a training session for law enforcement officers in Anderson on Wednesday, said he fears that more deadly violence at schools could have far-reaching consequences.

“If we have another year like last year, we could very well see public education start going away," he warned.

Oconee County Sheriff's Office Deputy Trace Burch, left, talks with Dave Grossman, director of the Illinois-based Killology Research Group, before a school-safety seminar at the Civic Center of Anderson on Thursday.(Photo: Ken Ruinard / staff)

"Please do not give up," he urged the educators and resource officers at Thursday's session. "Now, more than ever, our children need you.”